The problem of history is always seen through a lens of the present, and with each new generation of historians new histories are written about the same times in the past. That’s always been the challenge; not to try to avoid our own bias, as that is exactly the tool we need to write history, but to write history anew with each investigation.
Without that bias we are struck dumb and having nothing to say at all.
But we can no more travel back to the past to offer “what really happened”, nor can we ever offer such a thing as an ‘objective account’, such a thing is risible, and is no more possible than writing an objective account of what is happening now. Ask ant one about anything, few accounts agree exactly; all is opinion based on personal reflexions of our understanding of reality. How could it be any other way.
Obviously there are some fields of human activity that need to maintain the myth of objectivity; such as the Law and Religion. But what they actually are is a series of agreements on the current state of their professional requirements; a collective subjection of views; a sort of inter-subjective account by which they can all agree through precedent.
All the best historians make obvious their personal self reflexive, and critical self awareness, and continue to maintain a dialogue with the “object” of their study. In this way a reader can make up their own mind whilst agreeing or not with the historians account.
so am i a pantheist…thank you…yes…i am dumb…and i would like to keep this( REAL forum) going…
actually i believe the other guys are dummies also…they just dont know it…or wont admit it…
actually pantheism is the ultimate reality of god…so to speak
turtle-----what if reality comes in degrees, like ketchup on a hamburger…then ultimate reaity would just mean a lot of ketchup on the hamburger…just my suggestion…
Yeah, or Einstein.
But there is some debate as to whether or not Spinoza can be accurately called a “Pantheist”. Most philosopher’s, despite Spinoza “proving god’s existence”, in Ethics, call him an atheist. And for very good reason.